


Credits Roll

by TortiTabby



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, First Meetings, M/M, filmmaker phil, kind of lol, movie critic dan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 18:27:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21912976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TortiTabby/pseuds/TortiTabby
Summary: Dan looked down at his glass with a wry, strained looking smile. “Are you Phil Lester?” He asked, still not looking up. Suddenly it clicked and Phil’s mouth went dry. “Daniel Howell?” Dan’s laugh cracked as he nodded, finally looking up. “Mate.” Phil stared at him for a minute before the dam fully broke. “Mate what the hell! You tore my movie to shreds!”Phil is a new filmmaker and Dan is a movie critic with a lot of opinions and no hesitations when it comes to his reviews.
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Comments: 18
Kudos: 79
Collections: Phandom Fic Fests Holiday Exchange 2019





	Credits Roll

**Author's Note:**

  * For [heyitsnxel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyitsnxel/gifts).



> Ho Ho Ho!!  
> Happy holidays!!!  
>   
> I hope you enjoy this I really loved your prompts and had such a hard time choosing but this one was so fun to write!!!  
>   
> Thank you as always to my wonderful beta, you're the best <3

_ “If you want to be disappointed then by all means go see The Future, written and directed by Phil Lester. Yes, it’s a new and upcoming cast in it with great chemistry and a story that should by all means drive the movie to the top of the charts. It should be a new fan favorite. The story builds up in a beautiful crescendo only to let you down at the end in the worst ending I have seen in film history. The characterization turns awkward and stilted. It’s like the characters don’t know how to talk to each other anymore. Two best friends that grew up together just stare at each other without saying anything for the last thirty minutes whenever they’re in the same scene. Lester sticks them in the same house together in the end like that solves anything and the credits roll leaving you confused and dejected. Do yourself a big favor and save yourself the irritation and headache by sitting this one out.”  _

  
  


Phil squawked at the article that the review was printed on and threw it to the ground. 

“What the hell did I ever do to this guy.” He pouted over at his brother. “This– Daniel Howell? Clearly he didn’t understand the movie at all and now nobody’s going to go see it.” He slumped into the chair dramatically. 

“Phil you’re nominated for a pretty well established award tomorrow night. Sorry if I don’t seem too overly upset for you.” Martyn laughed with a shrug. “You should be proud of yourself and don’t worry what one guy thinks.” 

“He just–” Phil growled and pulled at his hair, “He just didn’t get the ending! It’s so frustrating! Maybe I should email him.” 

“You are not going to be one of those directors that email every bad critic you get.” 

Phil huffed out dramatically but grinned over at his brother. He wasn’t wrong, after all. 

He couldn’t explain to his brother how some homophobic man misunderstanding the ending to the movie he put his everything into the last three years was going to grate on him and keep him up at night. He wouldn’t understand. 

  
  


Phil showed up to the award show early and awkward. He had no idea where he was going and the frantic shouting and shoving of all of the press and media made his head ache. His mum held onto his arm and marvelled in all of the excitement and chaos. Phil knew when he got the invite and nomination that there was only one person he could bring with. 

She beamed at him when he caught her eye. She was almost embarrassingly proud of him. 

It felt good in a comfortable, smothering sort of way.

“Let’s try to go find our seats.” He pulled her through the sea of people. They stopped for a quick hello with the cast before they were carted off for pictures. He wasn’t upset that nobody spared him a second glance. He knew it bothered his mum and tried to swallow down the bitter disappointment.

He took a deep breath when they were finally inside and away from the crowd. Phil wasn’t claustrophobic but loud massive groups of people wore on him. The awards hadn’t even started and he was ready to be home alone for a week, recovering from the socialization.

“Mum I have no idea where our table is at.” He sighed as they tried to find their spot. 

Soon enough they were getting warnings to find their seats before the show started and the panic set in for Phil. 

“I’ll look on that end, you look over here.” His mum said, determined before hurrying to the other side of the gigantic theater. 

Phil felt like a disappointment. He knew it was ironic since the only reason they were there was from his film, but they didn’t have seats with the cast and Phil had an awful feeling he was just forgotten altogether. 

He kept searching in vain when ushers came in and urged everyone to sit down. 

Phil sat at a table that was empty save for one man sitting by himself, looking as out of place as Phil felt. 

“Hi. Eh– mind if I sit here? I have been searching for my seat all night and I’m starting to think I don’t have one after all.” 

The man startled but motioned for Phil to sit. 

“By all means. I don’t even know why they send me invitations to these things. I don’t usually go but I decided to try it out this time. My friend ended up getting sick so I came alone and it has been just as weird as I was afraid it would be.” The man laughed.

Phil nodded. “I brought my Mum and now I can’t even see where she is. I’m not at the movie I made’s table and I’m not sure if anything has ever summed my life up so perfectly before.” 

The man cackled and raised his drink. “Wish I couldn’t relate, mate, but I know exactly how that goes.” 

Phil raised his drink in solidarity with a chuckle. He skimmed the other side for his mum again and vaguely hoped she was sat with someone fun and exciting at least. 

He turned back to his company for the event and felt the color fill his cheeks. The man looked  _ good _ . He was in a fancy black dress shirt that hung tight on his shoulders. It made his warm honey eyes pop and the eccentric swirls in the material matched the waves in his hair. 

“Dan.” The man offered with a small dimpled smile. 

“Hey, I’m Phil. I’m having such a hard time realizing I’m actually here and actually nominated for something.” He said in awe. 

He winced and glanced over. He hoped his word vomit didn’t come out as a humble brag. He really couldn’t believe people were loving his movie as much as they were. He couldn’t have been more proud of it and he knew when he finished it that it was something special, but  _ knowing _ that and having others prove him right were two very different things. 

Dan didn’t looked bothered though. It was startlingly easy to chat with him. 

“Oh what are you nominated for? I’m just a movie critic that got too publicly excited about too many of these movies.” Dan laughed. 

“I actually wrote and filmed one of the movies that’s up for two awards. I don’t think we’ll win but I never said that, and it’s beyond mindblowing anyway.”

Dan looked down at his glass with a wry, strained looking smile. “Are you Phil Lester?” He asked, still not looking up.

Suddenly it clicked and Phil’s mouth went dry. “Daniel Howell?”

Dan’s laugh cracked as he nodded, finally looking up.

“Mate.” Phil stared at him for a minute before the dam fully broke. “Mate what the hell! You tore my movie to shreds!”

“I’m sorry. I just wasn’t a big fan of the ending of it.” Dan hissed quietly, face beet red. Phil realized he had been half shouting as the host rambled on about the actually famous people that were present. Luckily nobody seemed to be paying much attention to them in the back of the room.

“ _ You _ weren’t a fan of it because  _ you _ just didn’t get it.” Phil said hotly and crossed his arms. 

Stupid attractive asshole movie critic.

Dan scoffed scandalously. “I did  _ so _ get it. Just because it wasn’t good doesn’t mean that I’m stupid.” 

Phil laughed and shook his head over at him. “No, you just like your boring heteronormative movies and couldn’t handle a big gay ending.” He surprised himself with how blunt and bold that came out. Phil wasn’t usually one for confrontation but there was something urgent about Dan needing to understand. He was wrong. The ending was the best part. 

Dan gaped at him. The host went onto the next category, jarring him out of his daze. A spot on his cheek grew steadily more red. Phil almost felt bad for losing his cool.

“Look,” he said once the clips for the next nominations started playing, “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I just think it’s frustrating to get a review from somebody my movie just maybe wasn’t for.” 

Dan laughed dryly and shook his head. “I take it back. I  _ am _ stupid.” 

Phil frowned but couldn’t think of anything to say to that. The salty part of him that was reciting the review over and over in his head didn’t  _ want _ to come up with anything to say to that. 

“I mean–”

“I’m gay.” 

Phil blinked at him in surprise. “You’re… not….”

The rest of the words seemed to tumble out of Dan’s mouth. “What? Yeah, I’m gay and I can’t believe I didn’t notice all of the details. The letter? The eye contact? The house at the end? I’m so stupid. I should try to get that review deleted. Oh that’s so sweet then at the end. I love that. I just–”

He stopped when Phil let a giggle slip out and stared at him.

“I’m sorry.” Dan said sincerely, he still looked semi-mortified and Phil was getting less enjoyment by it, but still a little bit.

‘I can’t believe you didn’t realize.” Phil said softly. “Maybe I didn’t make it as clear as I should have. Maybe that makes me a bit of a coward but–”

“It makes sense  _ now _ . I don’t know how I missed it. Too much wishful thinking in the past maybe? I just would have never thought it would actually go how I wanted it to.” Dan downed his drink and grimaced. “Oh is that your mum?” He nodded to behind Phil’s shoulder. 

Sure enough Kathryn hurried down the hallway while everyone was distracted and sat close to Phil, wrapping her arms around his shoulders with a big grin before sitting next to him.

“You can  _ not _ tell your father we got lost and separated like that. Honestly, how do we manage to make it out of the house between the two of us?” She cackled. “Oh,” she looked over to Dan with a wide smile, “I’m Kathryn, Phil’s mother.” 

“Hi. Dan Howell.” Dan smiled kindly and shook her hand. 

She pulled away and shot Phil a pinched look. 

“Mum, it’s fine” Phil laughed quietly. “I’ll explain later.” 

Dan’s face was red again as he chuckled and looked back to the stage. 

Phil fidgeted a while later and glanced to his side at Dan. He was startled to find honey brown eyes on him

He raised an eyebrow at Dan in question. 

Dan’s cheeks colored again but he raised both of his eyebrows in as much of an answer as Phil was going to get.

He smiled, dimpled and flushed and Phil could feel his heart in his stomach. 

Tonight was not going how he thought it would.

The three of them kept the drinks tastefully coming as they watched the show and chatted. The tension was started to bleed out of Dan as Kath started asking about his family and friends and personal life. Phil was simultaneously mortified as his mother’s usual well intended but sometimes lack of tact, as well as enthralled by all of Dan’s answers. 

“And the nominees are…” Dan and Kath both cheered loudly as Phil’s name was read along the list of others. It was a surreal moment of  _ actually _ being in an award show and being  _ nominated _ . Sitting next to a film critic that went from tearing it apart to begin with making loaded eye contact with him when Kath wasn’t paying attention. He wasn’t sure how it could get much stranger than that. 

“Phil Lester!” Dan grabbed his arm and shook it excitedly while Kath whooped in his ear. 

Phil stood up and hugged his mum. Dan clapped him on the back and cheered and besides the vague memory of tripping over his own feet and almost falling on his face in front of all the cameras and audience, Phil couldn’t remember what he said or really much of any of his time up on stage. 

Before he knew it the show was wrapping up and the whole theater was clearing out. Dan stretched as he got to his feet but it was obvious he was stalling to leave. 

“Phil?” Kathryn spoke up before Phil could think of a way to sneak off and talk to Dan. “I’m going to go outside and call your father and let him know it’s over. I’ll meet you by the fountain?” 

“Sure Mum.” 

“It was nice meeting you Mrs. Lester. Er, sorry about the review.” 

Kathryn scoffed a laugh and pulled him into a hug. Phil knew he should be embarrassed but he also knew how much love you could feel in one of Kathryn Lester’s hugs.

She dug her phone out of her bag and hurried off with a wave. She wasn’t the smoothest but Phil had to give her props for trying. 

“Your Mum is quite the wingman.” Dan said. 

Phil snorted. “She tries, anyway.”

“I think she’s really not half bad at it.”

Phil shrugged and looked after her. “Do you think so? I thought it was kind of embarrassing. Not sure if I want to see how it would work.”

“ _ Phil _ .” He looked over at Dan. 

_ Oh _ .

“She doesn’t get credit.” Phil said hotly. “I wooed you with my gay movie way before she came over here.”

“I didn’t like your gay movie at first!” Dan sputtered in faux offense.  
“Sure you didn’t. I think you liked it too much. And scratch that– gay _award_ _winning_ movie.” 

Dan shook his head with a laugh before staring intently at Phil. “Why don’t you go take your mum home and we can get coffee tomorrow morning.” It would seem flawlessly smooth if it wasn’t so obvious how nervous he was.

Phil jotted down his number and pressed it into Dan’s hand, lingering for a minute. 

“I’ll see you then. Name the place and time,” he smirked. “Just make sure there’s time for you to redact that review first.” 

Dan shoved him with a laugh. 


End file.
